1. Do you think this resident is in pain? What signs is he exhibiting that make you draw that conclusion?
2. What is the best way of assessing pain in a cognitively impaired elder?
3. What interventions can be instituted to improve his comfort?
A 90-year-old resident of a long-term care facility has a history of dementia, diabetes, mellitus, peripheral vascular disease, and osteoarthritis. He is totally dependent in activities of daily living (ADLs). Over the course of the past 2 weeks, he is noted to have a decreased appetite and a sudden change in behavior. He is being discussed at the team meeting due to this change in behavior.
The RN reports that when the nurse aids attempts to get him out of bed, he actively resists and strikes out. He also screams when being showered, especially when his lower extremities are washed, and when being dressed. He has been moved to a private room in the facility due to his behavioral changes disturbing his roommate.
The RN reports that he has a large ulcer on the medial aspect of his left foot as well as a small ulcer on the malleolus. His right heel is reddened and soft to touch. The patient’s daughter is present at the meeting and asks the RN whether she thinks her father is in pain. The RN responds that she attempted to administer the pain scale but that he was not able to respond.
Your paper should include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Also, support your answers with the course’s readings and at least two scholarly journal articles. The article’s purpose is to support your positions, claims, and observations, in addition to your textbook.
ProQuest and EBSCOhost are great sites to find resources. Also, write in a concise and logical, using excellent grammar and style techniques. Additionally, the quality of your writing dictates grading criteria. On the other hand, if you use direct quotes from books or articles, place the words you copied (use parenthesis) and cite them in-line. Also, only use sources within the five-year range. Additional Guidelines The quotes should be complete sentences (no more, less) and should be incorporated in your essay to illustrate your ideas. Please, cite your sources in a clickable reference list at the end. Also, do not copy without providing proper attribution (quotation marks and in-line citations). Also, write an essay format, not in bullet form, numbering, or another list format. It would be best if you use your own words. Lastly, proofread your work and run it through Grammarly for thorough confirmation.